I don't know if it's just me and the people I follow, but for the past three days, there's been a lot of anger directed at Noynoy Aquino.
Well, sure, there have always been people who are angry at the president. There will always be people who are angry at the president, whoever it may be. And in the five years that Noynoy sat in Malacañang, these people vented their frustrations to no avail, whether because they were seen as eternal complainants with nothing constructive to offer, or those in power brushed them aside as an irrelevant minority.
The past three days, though, things feel different. This is, of course, about Noynoy's actions in the aftermath of the botched police operation in Mamasaparo, Maguindanao, that killed 44 people. This is about how he, during his televised address on Wednesday, evaded responsibility for the doomed mission. This is about how he did not show up at the Villamor Air Base when the bodies of the fallen arrived, yesterday, instead speaking at the opening of the new-ish assembly plant of Mitsubishi Motors in Laguna. (New-ish, because it's the facility that Ford recently vacated.) This is about how he was late at the necrological service at Camp Bagong Diwa this morning, forcing the event's postponement midway through until he arrived.
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1/30/2015
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1/29/2015
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Huge crowds, inevitably, gathered at the route Pope Francis will take on his first motorcade in Manila, from the Villamor Air Base in Pasay to the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila. Huge crowds, all hoping for a chance to see the Catholic Church's highest leader, all hoping to, in their belief, be blessed somehow by him physically passing them by, maybe waving at them.
The atmosphere was as manic as expected, of course - well, one would glean that much from the television. The mere appearance of the long string of security personnel at the front of the motorcade incited howls from the crowd. A rumbling roar, maybe a roaring rumble, slowly came in, and the next thing you know, you were lost in it, even if you're just at home watching television. The reporters say the same thing, about the pope being closer and closer to their point. And then he does appear, and he does pass them by, and the reporters lose composure themselves, becoming one with the crowd.
"Malapit na po si Pope Francis sa aking kinalalagyan," Noli de Castro reported from his vantage point near the Apostolic Nunciature. The lights from the siren grew brighter as the motorcade approached its final destination. And then, the pontiff appears in his sights.
Read more »
The atmosphere was as manic as expected, of course - well, one would glean that much from the television. The mere appearance of the long string of security personnel at the front of the motorcade incited howls from the crowd. A rumbling roar, maybe a roaring rumble, slowly came in, and the next thing you know, you were lost in it, even if you're just at home watching television. The reporters say the same thing, about the pope being closer and closer to their point. And then he does appear, and he does pass them by, and the reporters lose composure themselves, becoming one with the crowd.
"Malapit na po si Pope Francis sa aking kinalalagyan," Noli de Castro reported from his vantage point near the Apostolic Nunciature. The lights from the siren grew brighter as the motorcade approached its final destination. And then, the pontiff appears in his sights.
Read more »
1/27/2015
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Facebook is down, and it's the end of the world as you know it.
What do you do? How do you kill time? How will you find out who's on the beach on a Tuesday, or whose baby is making a bitch resting face?
More importantly, how do you pretend to work?
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What do you do? How do you kill time? How will you find out who's on the beach on a Tuesday, or whose baby is making a bitch resting face?
More importantly, how do you pretend to work?
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1/26/2015
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You'd be forgiven for thinking Malaysia is very much like the Philippines, more so if you're arriving from Singapore, via coach, passing through one of two border crossings.
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1/15/2015
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My parents went to Rome a couple of years ago, so it was obvious that they'd go to the Vatican. It was early on a Sunday morning, and many people were already gathered at St. Peter's Square, having already gone through the security procedures and are now waiting for mass to start.
They knew they wouldn't get to see Pope Francis, who was named as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church just a few months prior. He usually holds masses on a Wednesday, they were told; it's most likely some other priest will be officiating mass on that day. Still, hearing mass at the Vatican itself is an experience, so they went there anyway.
It was crowded, but it wasn't the kind of crowded we are (sadly) used to in Manila. You could still move around and shake your legs a bit. That probably explains why they managed to walk closer to the edge of the barricades, until they were on the second row of their section. They were still far away, but considering that these are tall Europeans, and my dad had to take photographs, it was good enough for them.
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They knew they wouldn't get to see Pope Francis, who was named as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church just a few months prior. He usually holds masses on a Wednesday, they were told; it's most likely some other priest will be officiating mass on that day. Still, hearing mass at the Vatican itself is an experience, so they went there anyway.
It was crowded, but it wasn't the kind of crowded we are (sadly) used to in Manila. You could still move around and shake your legs a bit. That probably explains why they managed to walk closer to the edge of the barricades, until they were on the second row of their section. They were still far away, but considering that these are tall Europeans, and my dad had to take photographs, it was good enough for them.
Read more »
1/11/2015
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There was talk last night of the millennial demographic - but as I'm with people who do supply chain for a living, there was none of the bullshit about things being life-changing and mind-blowing.
"Millennials value the experience more," one of my colleagues pointed out, and while it's something that I've understood for a while, it only really clicked with me that night. Damn. So that's why those concert organizers always talk about some concert with some pretending-to-be-indie band as a once-in-a-lifetime, not-to-be-missed experience. And then it was followed by the realization, shared by everybody in the room, that I am, technically, arguably, part of that millennial demographic, something I've constantly rejected, because I think I'm much more practical than those frigging kids.
And then we wrapped up our activities for the day, went off for the usual bulalo group dinner in some restaurant in increasingly crowded Tagaytay, and the inevitable drinking session that follows - although videoke was accompanied by wine, not beer. I, however, went to my room to get nebulized, and went to sleep at midnight.
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"Millennials value the experience more," one of my colleagues pointed out, and while it's something that I've understood for a while, it only really clicked with me that night. Damn. So that's why those concert organizers always talk about some concert with some pretending-to-be-indie band as a once-in-a-lifetime, not-to-be-missed experience. And then it was followed by the realization, shared by everybody in the room, that I am, technically, arguably, part of that millennial demographic, something I've constantly rejected, because I think I'm much more practical than those frigging kids.
And then we wrapped up our activities for the day, went off for the usual bulalo group dinner in some restaurant in increasingly crowded Tagaytay, and the inevitable drinking session that follows - although videoke was accompanied by wine, not beer. I, however, went to my room to get nebulized, and went to sleep at midnight.
Read more »
1/05/2015
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The fact that there are still some people who were surprised by the news that fares for the LRT and MRT will go up is testament to how short the collective Filipino attention span is. This was one of the first things the Aquino administration tackled the moment it took over: they wanted to decrease the subsidy the government allots to the train system's budget, supposedly to free up funds for more pressing projects. If I remember correctly, Noynoy Aquino defended the proposal by pointing out that only those who live in Metro Manila benefit from the LRT and MRT, and the subsidy it gets does not benefit all the others who live elsewhere.
Four years later, and here we are. The basic fare has gone up to almost double across all three lines of Metro Manila's train system: the LRT-1, from Pasay to Caloocan (and, later, to Quezon City); the LRT-2, from Manila to Marikina; and the MRT, following the same route as EDSA. There's the usual back-and-forth, from government officials and advocacy groups and commuters, about whether the fare increase is justified or not. There are traditional protests, selfie protests and middle-finger protests. There are, still, long lines at the train stations, crossing many blocks. There are, still, trains stalling, as late as this weekend.
I tend to agree with those who say that the timing of the fare hike is, at the very least, insensitive. I don't remember who all of them are; I only remember that neophyte senator Grace Poe was one of those people. (That worked for her, the public transport advocacy. I remember her.) You have an unreliable train system that is not punctual, that does not guarantee the safety of its riders, that does not even serve the whole of Metro Manila. You have a train system that's a headache for everybody, no matter what the time is. And then you raise prices. Insult to injury, sometimes literal, to put it one way.
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Four years later, and here we are. The basic fare has gone up to almost double across all three lines of Metro Manila's train system: the LRT-1, from Pasay to Caloocan (and, later, to Quezon City); the LRT-2, from Manila to Marikina; and the MRT, following the same route as EDSA. There's the usual back-and-forth, from government officials and advocacy groups and commuters, about whether the fare increase is justified or not. There are traditional protests, selfie protests and middle-finger protests. There are, still, long lines at the train stations, crossing many blocks. There are, still, trains stalling, as late as this weekend.
I tend to agree with those who say that the timing of the fare hike is, at the very least, insensitive. I don't remember who all of them are; I only remember that neophyte senator Grace Poe was one of those people. (That worked for her, the public transport advocacy. I remember her.) You have an unreliable train system that is not punctual, that does not guarantee the safety of its riders, that does not even serve the whole of Metro Manila. You have a train system that's a headache for everybody, no matter what the time is. And then you raise prices. Insult to injury, sometimes literal, to put it one way.
Read more »
1/01/2015
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One year ago, Year School allowed yours truly to interview 2014, as he prepared to take over as the year. I check back on him just as festivities touting his replacement, 2015, wrap up.
Good morning again, 2014
Good morning to you too, Niko.
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Good morning again, 2014
Good morning to you too, Niko.
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Niko Batallones writes The Upper Blog.
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